


On a Wing and a Prayer

by sanctuary_for_all



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, Reunited and It Feels So Good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Carol left something important back on Earth. (Spoilers for the movie.)***NOW WITH CHAPTER 2!!!***





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know there are already about 10,000 of these. But I love these two too much not to do this.

"Auntie Carol!"

The words, along with the sheer joy in her daughter's voice, shot through Maria Rambeau's heart like an electric current. She was moving before her brain had time to form an actual thought, racing out of the house to see Carol pick Monica up and swing her around like she was five years old again. They were both laughing like loons, so full of joy Maria could feel it against her face like sunlight, and for a moment it was like the past seven years had never happened.

But they had. Carol had been declared dead, and even though she'd come back space had called her away with battles to fight. She'd had a galaxy to save, and Maria had known in her heart that she wouldn't see her again. It had been so much better than last time she'd watched Carol fly away that Maria had accepted it. That old saying about letting the people you loved go free was shit, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

Besides, the ache that had made a permanent home in her chest was so much better than the hole that had been there before.

But it hadn't even been a year. There was no way she could be done yet, and space wars probably didn't give their soldiers a chance for leave. Was she coming to warn them that the Kree had returned? Something worse? Fury hadn't said anything, but maybe all that meant was that he didn't know, either.

There were so many questions she should ask. But then Carol set Monica down, meeting Maria's eyes with that old troublemaker smile, and everything else flew right out of her head. They moved together, crossing the patch of grass between them in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Then they were in each other's arms, and time had the good sense to stop completely.

"I can't stay," Carol whispered against the shell of her ear, holding on like she was the only thing keeping Maria from blowing away. "But I stole a little time."

Maria closed her eyes, holding on just as hard. "Don't you dare tell me you flew across _light_ years just to get invited over for dinner."

"What can I say?" Carol's voice was thick, but Maria could hear the smile in it. "No one else in the universe makes gumbo like you do."

000

The next few hours passed like one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming. Carol was back in her place as if it had never stood empty, wearing clothes borrowed from Maria and laughing and talking like their family was still the entire world to her. But Maria could also feel the promise of grief at the back of her throat, the knowledge that she would open her eyes and all of this would disappear like smoke.

So she held onto all of it lightly, like a bird who needed to be free to fly away, and when Carol followed her into the kitchen with worry in her eyes Maria braced herself for whatever she was about to say. When Carol didn't say anything at all, just moved to Maria's side and started drying the dishes that she'd washed, a sweet pain pricked her heart. Carol never had liked delivering bad news.

Maria kept her voice light and easy as she handed her a glass. "I'm amazed Monica hasn't followed you in here already."

Carol's smile was a flicker rather than a full beam. "She's drawing a picture of Earth for me to take back to Talos's daughter."

Maria let out a breath, trying hard not to think about anything at all. "Where's your head at, baby?" she asked quietly.

Somehow, that was enough to make Carol's eyes warm for a moment. "Never could put one past you, could I?"

Maria was surprised to find her own lips curving a little. "Not for a second."

There was a breath of a laugh, then she set the cup and rag down on the counter with enough care to be its own warning sign. "So," Carol said after a moment, in that bright conversational voice that had always meant something more than it sounded like. "Have you and Monica ever thought about moving to space?"

The words were so far from what Maria had expected she was sure she couldn't have possibly heard them correctly. "What?"

"Well, not space, exactly. You'd move onto the Skrull ship, which is fuller than last time you saw it but still has plenty of room." Carol was in full troublemaker mode, persuasive as the best snake charmer, but she wouldn't quite meet Maria's eyes. "And there are drop ships you can fly, which I admittedly haven't flown because of my whole superpowers thing but look like they would be a _ton_ of fun. And it turns out a few Skrulls in the last group of refugees we found are a _lot_ better at science than Talos's last guy, so you can be sure Monica would get the _best_ —"

She _had_ heard them correctly. Maria's heart started to pound so hard she was amazed Monica couldn't hear it from the other room. "Baby, stop." The words were a rasp, and she could feel herself shaking as she reached out to grab her Carol's hands in hers. "You don't have to worry about us. I know you need to—"

"I need my _family_." The sudden intensity in Carol's voice burned hotter than her super fire. Her hands shifted their grip so that she was holding onto Maria right back. "When I watched Talos find his family again, I thought the ache I felt was just because I'd been fighting on the wrong side. But I kept feeling it, over and over again every time I saw them together, and I finally realized it was because _I know exactly how Talos feels_. Except he's _with_ his daughter and the love of his life, and I'm—"

Carol froze at that, the expression on her face making it clear she hadn't meant to say that out loud. There was fear in her eyes now, which was such an obviously _wrong_ sight Maria wondered why the universe itself didn't protest. Carol hadn't been afraid of _anything._

It had been Maria who'd been afraid. Not willing to say anything about all the love burning inside her, on the off chance it would chase away the woman who held such a huge chunk of her heart. Not willing to risk tasting the lips she'd never stopped dreaming about, even after all these years.

Carol visibly pushed her fear aside, taking a deep breath. "Listen, forget I said anything. It's crazy to ask you to—"

Anything else she'd been about to say was cut off by Maria's lips against hers. They fell into the kiss like they'd done it all their lives, and if she'd thought before felt like a dream it had nothing on this moment. Carol's fire burned inside her now, so bright and hot that it was a wonder it didn't burn her from the inside out.

When they broke apart, Carol's eyes were like stars. "I take back my take back," she breathed. "I am _fully_ prepared to move the two of you to space the moment you say the word."

Maria's lips curved. "Unless Talos is going to swing by and pick us up, we're also going to have to steal the adapted quadjet back from SHIELD."

Carol grinned and stole another kiss, hearing the yes Maria hadn't quite said out loud. "Details."

"We're going to space?"

They both turned at the sound of Monica's voice, already full to bursting with excitement. She was beaming at both of them, completely unconcerned with the fact that they were holding onto each other in a way that definitely wasn't covered by "best friends."

Maybe, somewhere in her heart, she'd always known.

Maria laughed, more giddy than she'd felt in years. It was ridiculous, it was crazy, but all the best things were with Carol. "Yeah, sweetheart. We're going to space."

Monica and Carol both whooped. The sound of it danced through Maria's heart like music.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going with fan theory on the name of Talos's daughter, which is too perfect not to include. I can't find the post where I originally read it, so if anyone else can I'd be happy to link to it here.

Carol Danvers wasn't scared of anything. It was practically her motto.

But right now, she was pretty damn nervous.

The quadjet ("I'm marking this down as _borrowed_ , Danvers, which means I'm expecting it back at some point") was still holding together by the time they docked it in the Skrull ship. Carol's one box was in the back, along with the portion of Maria and Monica's things they'd decided they absolutely couldn't do without. Carol would move them into one of the family units once they'd snagged one, since the tiny living space she'd claimed for herself wouldn't be enough to house them with any kind of comfort.

Right now, though, there were more important things to worry about.

"This is so _cool_!" Monica, who'd been wide-eyed since the moment the moment they'd stepped onto the Skrull ship, spun around in a circle so she could fully take in the main room. "Was it this colorful when you and Auntie Carol came up here to help save everybody?"

"No, baby," Maria murmured, her own expression less forthcoming as she took in the murals the Skrull families had been painting along the walls. "They've had time to make the place cozy since then."

They'd gotten a few waves from other inhabitants of the ship, all of them pretending very hard not to stare at the little family. Not because they were human -- even the newest refugees had gotten used to Carol at this point – but because everyone had known how sad Carol had been without them. They all knew what it was like to be without the people you love, and it was their quiet understanding – along with the rest of her slowly returning memories – that had helped Carol realize she'd made a terrible mistake.

So many of them had lost pieces of their hearts, but she'd left hers behind on _purpose._

"There's also a whole collection of rugs and blankets that weren't here before," Carol said lightly, as if every ounce of her attention wasn't focused on Maria's face. "One of the men learned weaving from a native on the planet they'd hidden out on—" she squashed down the part of her brain that wanted to call the planet by its Kree designation number "—and has been busily teaching everyone else. They haven't quite gotten down clothing yet, but they're working on it."

Maria lifted a warmly amused eyebrow at her. "I don't suppose you rushed over to get in on the lessons."

She'd heard all about Carol's early domestic disasters, painful memories that had transformed into amusing stories under Maria's patient, open-hearted attention. Carol might not remember telling her every single story – there were still a few lost memories, and never the ones she wouldn't have minded losing – but the certainty that she had was sunk deep in her bones.

Now, she put on the most artificially innocent look in her repertoire. "I did try, once. Mragg said he'd never seen a knot that big in his _life_."

Maria's lips curved, laughter dancing in her beautiful brown eyes. "You always were an overachiever."

A wave of love snagged in Carol's throat. She always _had_ been an overachiever, wanting to prove to the world that she could take on anything and everything, but she'd learned early on that there was no sweeter prize than making Maria Rambeau smile. She'd shown off for Maria more than she ever had for anyone else, a mating dance that she'd been half terrified someone would recognize for what it truly was. But she could never seem to make herself stop, the warm light in Maria's eyes a high the sky itself could never quite match.

Monica, missing the joke, patted Carol's hand. "I can help you with that, Auntie Carol. Grandma gave me one of those—" She stopped suddenly, distracted by the sight of the little Skrull girl currently heading towards her at a dead run. "Talia!"

Talos's daughter, who even now was still shy around anyone else, flung herself at Monica and soon found herself wrapped up in a Lieutenant Trouble-style hug. When that settled, Talia pressed her forehead against Monica's in the traditional Skrull gesture of affection.

As they hurried away, Talia clearly wanting to show Monica more of the ship, Talos and Soren approached. "Sorry," Talos said, with that perpetually harried look he always got when he had to deal with politics. "We meant to be here to greet you the moment you arrived, but we had to deal with a border skirmish on the second level."

"Noise complaints between two families," Soren clarified with fond amusement, briefly pressing her forehead against Maria's before pulling her into a hug. "We're so pleased that you and Monica will be joining us."

"Mostly because I need someone to team up with against Carol," Talos said, waiting until Soren had let Maria go before clasping Maria's hand and doing the same forehead press. "She and my wife have made an alliance against me, and I need to even the odds."

Maria gave him an amused look. "Or all three of us could team up against you."

Talos smiled, no longer pretending to hide his own amusement. "I'm destined to be tormented."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way," Soren added, nudging him playfully before returning back to Maria. "We haven't missed you moving in, have we? Talos and I set aside the best available family unit for the three of you once we knew that Carol had gone to get you, and some of the families have donated some things to give it a more welcoming touch."

Maria looked incredibly moved. "You didn't have to do that."

Carol, on the other hand, felt a kick of panic at what her return would have been like if Maria had said no. She dragged Talos close enough to mutter in his ear. "What if they hadn't been willing to come with me?"

He lifted an eyebrow, giving her his patented "you're an idiot" look. "You're the only one who ever thought that was a possibility," he murmured back.

When they returned to the conversation, Soren gestured to her husband. "I told Maria we would show her and Carol to their new quarters. It will get you out of that meeting about poetry nights you were dreading."

Following them, Carol watched as Soren took Talos's hand in her own. Suddenly realizing that she was now free to do that with Maria, Carol reverently threaded their fingers together.

Maria's, whose attention had still been on the ship, caught her breath a little. "I forgot that we can do that here," she whispered, tightening her hold on Carol's hand.

Another wave of love snagged in Carol's throat. "Where's your head at, baby?" she whispered back, leaning in close.

Maria was silent for a moment, her thumb rubbing back and forth along Carol's. "Gonna take some getting used to," she said finally, nothing but honesty in her voice, "and you'll definitely have to show me those dropships. But I think we could really get to love it here."

Carol knew she didn't deserve to be this lucky, but her heart wanted to soar just the same. "You sure?" she whispered, pressing a kiss against the curve of Maria's shoulder. "Not regretting following me halfway across the galaxy?"

Maria turned to give her a surprised look, then smiled warm and sweet at whatever she saw in Carol's eyes. "Never, baby," she murmured, her own gaze brighter than all the stars in the galaxy. "My home was out here."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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